FILE PHOTO: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the Arab League Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
08:51-13 July 2023 AD ـ 25 Thul-Hijjah 1444 AH
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday discussed the Sudanese crisis, bilateral relations and Ethiopia’s giant dam on the Blue Nile, the Egyptian presidency said.
Sisi welcomed Ahmed at the presidential palace in Cairo, the presidency added.
Egypt hosts a summit of Sudan’s neighbors on Thursday to discuss ways to end a 12-week conflict between rival Sudanese military factions that has triggered a major humanitarian crisis in the region.
Ahmed is set to attend the high-stakes meeting, along with leaders from South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Central African Republic and Libya.
Egypt and Ethiopia, Sudan’s two largest neighbors, have been at odds in recent years over the construction of GERD, the huge hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, close to the border with Sudan.
Sudan and Egypt fear it will reduce the amount of water they receive downstream on the Nile River. The dam is located in western Ethiopia just 10 kilometers from the Sudanese border.
Sudan’s Neighbors Urge Warring Parties to Commit to Ceasefire
13 July 2023, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (C) chairs the Summit of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries in Cairo. Photo: APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
- Cairo: Asharq Al Awsat
16:04-13 July 2023 AD ـ 25 Thul-Hijjah 1444 AH
The leaders of Sudan’s seven neighbors agreed Thursday on the importance of launching dialogue among the country’s warring sides.
Leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Libya as well as of the African Union and Arab League met in Cairo to discuss the war and its regional impact.
In a joint statement following the summit, they called on the warring parties to commit to a ceasefire, appealed to regional states not to interfere in the conflict, and agreed to facilitate delivery of aid.
They also warned of the possibility of Sudan’s fragmentation or “descent into chaos that could lead to the spread of terrorism and organized crime,” and called on the international community to meet aid pledges made last month.
Conflict between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in the capital Khartoum in April and has triggered a sharp surge of violence in the troubled Darfur region as well as fighting in North and South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
“All of our brothers in Sudan must uphold the supreme interest and keep Sudan’s politics and unity away from external interference that seeks to achieve narrow interests,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the summit.
Sisi hailed the “noble efforts” of Sudan’s neighbors in “receiving hundreds of thousands of refugees with limited resources in an extremely difficult global economic situation.”
He called on the international community “to honor the commitments” made last month when donors pledged $1.5 billion in aid — less than half the estimated need for Sudan and its affected neighbors.
Egypt, Ethiopia to Launch Urgent Negotiations for Agreement on Controversial Dam
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shakes hands with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed after their meeting to discuss Sudan’s crisis and the Ethiopian dam, at the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, July 13, 2023. The Egyptian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS
- Cairo: Asharq Al Awsat
15:31-13 July 2023 AD ـ 25 Thul-Hijjah 1444 AH
Cairo and Addis Ababa said Thursday that they would launch urgent negotiations to finalize an agreement on Ethiopia’s giant dam on the Blue Nile within four months.
The agreement will be between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the rules of its operations, a joint statement said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met in Cairo on Wednesday.
Thursday’s statement mentioned the two leaders will do all the necessary efforts to finalize the agreement in four months.
The statement came after Ahmed attended in Cairo a high-stakes meeting on Sudan, along with leaders from South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Central African Republic and Libya.
Sudan and Egypt fear the dam will reduce the amount of water they receive downstream on the Nile River. The dam is located in western Ethiopia just 10 kilometers from the Sudanese border.
Egypt, Ethiopia leaders discuss Sudan’s crisis, Nile dam dispute Anadolu Agency04:50